for what purpose does the gentleman from connecticut seek recognition? >> to address the house for one minute and revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, so ordered. >> mr. speaker, you can't walk two steeps in this capitol without getting into a discussion these days about the fiscal cliff and the fiscal cliff comprises a lot of serious issues but it is a metaphor. meanwhile, tens of thousands of my constituents an hundreds of thousands of people in connecticut, new jersey and new york are suffering vulls of a natural disaster which was anything but a metaphor. mr. himes: hurricane sandy devastated communities across those three straits -- states. traditionally when our constituents were homeless, when they were hungry, when they were standing amidst the wreckages of their homes they look to this body for help and this body always said yes, we will help. as we speak, there's a bill in the senate that would provide that assistance to so many distressed constituents, republican and democrat, rural and urban. when that bil